ONE of Merseyside’s best known bobbies enjoyed a grand day out when he was honoured for his work.

PC Rob Pritchard, known to hundreds of schoolchildren as Robbie the Bobby, became one of the few constables in the country to be presented with the Queen’s Police Medal when he was called to Buckingham Palace.

PC Pritchard, 49, went to the ceremony with wife Carole and daughters Holly, 21, and Faye, 17.

He said: “When I first heard I was getting the QPM I thought it was an elaborate hoax.

“The Queen asked me if I truly thought I made a difference and when I told her I did she paused before saying ‘thank you’. It was all over in about 30 seconds.

“I share this medal with the people of Croxteth, Norris Green and Clubmoor because they are the ones – along with my family – who support me every day. I come to work every day in an area, it’s fair to say, that has its problems. But I try to make a difference. I was nine when I decided I wanted to be a police officer and I tell the kids I meet they can make their dreams come true.”